ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 Researchers from the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations recently stumbled upon a fossil that they believe would undoubtedly provide new insight into history of the Potohar region.

Roughly 24 inches long and a little over six inches across, growing out of a rock, this thigh bone, notably of an elephant, is spectacularly preserved.

A team of archaeologists, headed by Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisation (TIAC) Director Prof Ashraf Khan, discovered the fossil during their recent survey “by chance”.

Walking behind his group, through the Soan Valley of the Potohar Plateau, Dr Ashraf Khan could not believe his eyes when he saw the fossil of an animal bone.

“It was just lying on the bank of Soan River,” said Dr Khan, who was a little bothered by the incompleteness of the bone.The team, which immediately started looking around for more specimens, dated the fossilised thigh bone between one and two million years old.

“It's an important discovery that will provide additional evidence of the late Pliocene date of this region,” Dr Khan said.

The fossil is one of the oldest antiquities of the region now on display in the Museum of the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisation.

Though small, the museum is home to some of the earliest findings - stone tools for hunting and cutting purposes by the earliest man.

This is not the first discovery of the partial fossil remains in the region. The first scientific survey of the Paleolithic sequence of Potohar region was carried out by De Terra and Peterson in 1939, reporting numerous Paleolithic sites. They also studied the Pleistocene geology of the area.

The Paleolithic survey in Potohar region was also carried out between 1981-88 by Britain's Dr B. Allchin, Dr R.W. Daniel and Dr Hellan Rindell with the collaboration of the Federal Department of Archaeology and Museums and Geological Survey of Pakistan.

The group re-studied the Pleistocene geology of the Soan Valley in Potohar region, revealing a good number of fossils of animal remains in lower Pleistocene deposits up to two million years old in the Pabbi hills (Dina, Jalalpur and Rohtas area). These fossils were mainly of large animals such as bovid, rhino, elephants, and robust parts of the skeleton - tusk, isolated teeth etc.

According to Dr Ashraf Khan, Pakistan, rich in some of the most ancient surprises, has been the centre of varieties of cultures and civilisations. It has, one of the oldest socio-political back ground going back to the Old Stone Age, the existence of which has been estimated to the fabulous period of two million years BC.

Dr Khan said “The remote history of Pakistan even goes much beyond that period. Potohar region of the Punjab, the Rohri hills of Sindh and Kirthar Range of Balochistan, have evidences of the fossils of human, animal and plants.”